posted 10-26-2013 07:57 PM
I made a little rocket part shopping spree to Norton Sales on July 23, 2013. I purchased a more or less random selection of parts, the only criteria being that it couldn't cost too much money, it had to fit in my luggage for my flight back to Indiana and that pretty much anything with a Rocketdyne tag or plate on it was a prime target.

One of the items I purchased was a metal cylinder with a Rocketdyne plate on it labeled "Rocket Engine Component"

After I returned to Indianapolis and did some research on it I found out that it was part of the "Fuel Additive Blender Unit" or "FABU" on an Rocketdyne H1 engine.

I was very happy to have a component from a Saturn IB, but I wondered how to best display it in my home.

At first I thought it would make an unusual wine chiller, however since I prefer red wine, I thought about it a bit more.

Finally I decided to make a lamp out of it!

I used the "FABU" as the base, then I purchased a cake baking pan and drilled holes in the pan to match the holes on the "FABU" I used a chrome sink drain down spout as the upper part of the lamp to hold the light socket and the "harp" that holds the lamp shade. The actual lamp parts, the socket, lamp cord and harp were purchased at a hardware store as a lamp making kit. The lamp shade from Goodwill.

Not the prettiest lamp around, but it means a lot to me!

ApolloEraMember

Posts: 13From: Woodland Hills, CA, USARegistered: Feb 2013

posted 10-27-2013 01:03 AM
Very nice job. I have an identical FABU as well, but I have not repurposed it so creatively... It looks like fortunately you left the actual component pristine and made the lamp fit it. I have seen many lamps made (with non-space hardware), such as valuable antique telephones, which left the original item irreversibly damaged...

Joel KatzowitzMember

Posts: 445From: Marietta GA USARegistered: Dec 1999

posted 10-27-2013 07:49 AM
What a clever way to integrate space hardware into an everyday household object. I may use that concept to spread some of my collection into other parts of my house without my wife catching on. It's like spacegeek camouflage.

And I really like your coffee cup.

SkytrotterMember

Posts: 19From: Indianapolis, IN USARegistered: Sep 2013

posted 10-27-2013 08:36 AM
Thanks for the complements! It was a fun project.

I definitely did not drill or modify the unit in any way. I wanted to leave it as I found it. The only thing I did was wash the unit with some Dawn detergent to get some grease off, but even then it was just to get the loose grease, not to make the unit spotless.

I also purchased some smaller valves and cover plates that are displayed on my mantel, but the FABU was too large for that. I knew I wanted it displayed but I knew it was too big to take up space just sitting on a coffee table. Making it into a lamp was a utilitarian way of displaying it.

I'm thinking about going even further with this lamp by making a custom lamp shade. The lamp shade would have line drawings of a Saturn IB, H1 engine and of the FABU. That way the lamp shade would help tell the story of what the hell this thing is! I have the drawings, I just need to figure out the best way of making the lamp shade.

By the way the coffee mug I purchased online from the JPL store. I also have in the cake pan a NASA shot glass from JSC, a JPL ink pen and a Rocketdyne ink pen, all purchased online.

stsmithvaMember

Posts: 1537From: Fairfax, VA, USARegistered: Feb 2007

posted 10-27-2013 09:50 AM

quote:Originally posted by Skytrotter:I'm thinking about going even further with this lamp by making a custom lamp shade.

That's a good idea. I did a quick search and saw a couple of companies that will print the image on the appropriate fabric and then construct the lampshade for you. All you have to do is e-mail them your image. It will have to be (from an example I saw) around 43.375" wide by 10" high.

It shouldn't be too hard for you to use Picasa or other photo-editing software to set the required custom image size, then make a collage after you have found online or scanned the individual rocket-related images you want to use. I'm certainly not tremendously computer-savvy, and I was able to make some OK collages that way.

SkytrotterMember

Posts: 19From: Indianapolis, IN USARegistered: Sep 2013

posted 10-27-2013 12:31 PM
Thanks for the info. I'm pretty good with Photoshop and have a good idea what I want to do. Just need to find some time to get the ball rolling.